How long might it really take to find al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden? U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates suggests the FBI’s 17-year hunt for convicted Unabomber Theodore Kaczynski as a reasonable guide.
Or worse still, Gates said on Wednesday, consider the fate of Americans taken hostage decades ago in Lebanon who died before the United States could find and rescue them.
Speaking to reporters at the Pentagon, Gates dismissed the notion that something might be amiss because bin Laden and his top lieutenant, Ayman al-Zawahri, remain free more than seven years after the September 11 attacks.
“To a certain extent, I think too many people go to too many movies. Finding these guys is really hard, and especially if they have some kind of a support network,” he said.
[…]
But Gates drew a historical parallel between bin Laden’s hide-out and the mountain cabin in Montana where federal agents found Kaczynski in 1995, after he had killed three people and injured 23 others in a bombing campaign that began in 1978.“Look at how long it took … years and years — in the United States,” the U.S. defense chief said.
The difference with the Unabomber is that nobody knew who he was. Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahri are famous. More than a few people must know where they are right this second. If there was a well publicized reward of, say $20 million, for information on their whereabouts, eventually someone would cave in. I imagine there already is a reward being offered, but people must not believe they’ll actually get the money or the reward hasn’t been publicized enough.
I have a feeling they’re not looking too hard.
I’d say: look for a 6’4″ tall peaceful Muslim but I wouldn’t want to profile him.
I don’t think the reward idea will go too far with the type of people who know where he is. OBL already has a fortune so he could conceivably keep those close to him well-paid. Secondly, among the militant Islamists, turning OBL in would be a death sentence. Every tenth Muslim in the world would be out to kill you.
Unfortunately, our madrasa-attending president will not allow any interrogation technique toughter than “Where is bin Laden? Please? Pretty Please? Pretty please with sugar on it?”
I think, in general, you’re right about the ineffectiveness off the reward. Honestly, I wouldn’t turn him in for $25 Million (that’s the amount, I checked). To do so would almost certainly be a death penalty for your entire extended family.
But I would think that eventually you would run across someone who felt they had nothing to lose. Someone with no family, perhaps. It could be the guy bringing dinner or the guy putting gas in the car. Eventually there’d be someone who fits the right profile. It could take years. But seven years? Maybe, but I’m starting to get suspicious.
I wonder if anyone has checked the AIG office in Zaranj? He has to appear in person at the office to get his bonus check.
#1 So right. The Unabomber was an unknown person in an unknown part of the country. Beyond a stretch to compare the two.
Bringing Bin Laden to justice may prove more difficult than bringing Cheney to justice. Time will tell.
As I recall, the FBI turned up squat in their search for the Unabomber until he was turned in by his brother. Have they tried asking Osama’s siblings where he is?
# 9 Thats the way I remember it.
Who remembers that we had him cornered in a mountain…And we BLEW up the mountain, and still didnt have him?
The Gov even reported that HE was Dead..
He’s irrelevant now. Best to let him die in a hole than make a martyr out of him. It’s known he’s surrounded by guards with orders to shoot him before capture. Don’t even give him press. By the way any relatives know damn well that any attempts to aid him will result in Saudi security agents picking them up, and they will not get a trial.
#3, George,
Unfortunately, our madrasa-attending president will not allow any interrogation technique toughter than “Where is bin Laden? Please? Pretty Please? Pretty please with sugar on it?”
So how well did Bush do during the 7+ years he had to find him? Gee, didn’t the American Army have him cornered and allowed the Afghan militia to go get him? And all those poor people Bush tortured to get information on bin Laden. Gee, none of them said anything?
Only a plain ijit would dare blame Obama for Bushes errors.
Osama? He’s effin DEAD! (has been for years)
http://spectator.org/archives/2009/03/13/osama-bin-elvis
He’s probably dead already, died of natural causes or in one of our attempts at capture or by a suicide killer who knew it was best for Islam to get rid of the radical extremist who bastardize one of the worlds great religions.
There has been no hard evidence that he is still alive for many years.
Those around him decided to keep his death a secret so the US would keep pouring resources into looking for him and keep him in the news, they can turn him into a martyr any day what’s the rush.
People should push this Osama Bin Laden is dead story. On the off chance he lives, if he wants people to think he is still alive or very relevant he should release a tape that is undisputedly of him and made in the last few days.
OBL is dead
His handlers should have listened to Neil “it’s better to burn out than to fade away,” he is destined to just fade away and good riddance.
Him fading away is in all likelihood best anyway.
Hey, that’s a real puzzle in the picture!
I think it is hilarious that we are trying to bring to “justice” a man that had to flee his home of Saudi Arabia due to his outspoken attitude towards the lack of basic freedoms by the Fahds.
Who was supported by the US when he brought other people in to help against the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in the 70’s and then was abandoned thereby setting the stage of worse to fill the vacuum of power.
Whose family has been and are friends of many Americans to the point THEY were allowed to leave during the no-fly ban after 9/11.
And enough being a giant physically among his fellow muslims with the need for dialysis cannot be spotted out no matter how many spy satellites are trained in the areas he is suspected being in.
And worse still is that we pretty much hated Arafat the exact same way as bin Laden and look what happened there. He became a leader and went to the White House and met many presidents.
We label him the enemy of the world, when we have done much more harm from Columbia in the 19th century to this very day than this one man could even DREAM of.
This is beyond comedic.
Cursor_
Osama is not in this world.
It has been widely reported, that Osama died of kidney failure in Decenber 2001 in the mountains on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. His body was burned.
Not to call Bush (43) a liar, but all the other stories regarding Osama’s whereabouts were made up by Bush (43)& spread by a media that only goes by WH press releases.
If he’s alive, then he’s probably in the Swat region nearthe Pakistan/Afghinstan border.
Since Pakistan has turned over the Swat valley to appease the Taliban, and since Obama started talking about negotiating with “moderate” Taliban, I think Osama is perfectly safe.
Don’t you go worring none about Black Water if old Ben dies. The odds that humans are going to stop killing each other, short of the species going extinct, approximates zero.
If all they need is a war to stay in business those boys have job security.
Maybe I’m wrong but with a few things Obama has said I can easily see him wanting to subcontract out a lot of our fighting.
just another way to make money off a false flag war..
bin laden is just a ghost kept alive to keep the endless war on terror going… this is the perfect war for arms dealers. who ever heard of war with no exit tragedy?…how can you end a war against terrorism? -has anyone ever defined the what is needed to end it?
besides, i thought Benazir Bhutto stated that bin laden was killed a few years ago by Omar Sheikh.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKDYZfEbEow
(conflicted in a later statement)
funny how anyone who states anything that could possibly lead to proof of a false flag Op, diminish or “end” of the war on terror is assinated.
(re: police chief during the mumbai attack)
its all a crock.
-s